Protection
by Cranberry Octopus
Summary: One-shot. “Sai.” Said Kakashi. “If this is how a village is run, I no longer wish to be a part of it.” He was angry, that was clear, and defensive. KakaSaku


I've come to a conclusion.  
Kishimoto is full of crap.  
The end.  
I am AWESOME! :D  
Poll on my profile, VOTE.

-

"_You __**left**__ him," She snarled, absolutely repulsed by the poor excuse for a woman in front of her. "You just left him."_

_She shuddered in disgust. "I know." She choked, "I know."_

-

The scuffle of feet could be clearly heard, but the man didn't seem to notice. He sighed, putting down his orange book with explicit scenes and such and turned towards the obvious scuffles. The source of the scuffling ceased sheepishly but their complexion remained the same as before. The undeniable look of concern was etched upon the offender's face and engraved in the reader's mind. "You have been following me."

The fair-haired woman cleared her throat before replying with a shaky breath, "I wanted to make sure you're safe."

He sneered inwardly because every expression he did was inward, "I don't _need_ protection."

Neither said a word after that. Mostly because of the harsh tone the male had used toward the female. She was almost shocked by this, almost, but she could only assume that he would be this bitter about it. That he would try everything to avoid her until the very end. Until they had both reached their breaking point, but until that moment came, they would remain silent. But they both knew the unspoken sentence just begging to jump from the woman's lips.

"_But I __**need**__ you."_

Yet she remained silent and whenever he would turn toward her with a questioning glance, she would just ignore him or shrug it off as if nothing happened. That part was true. Nothing happened, and that was why she was here. This was why she was following him everywhere. That was why she was endlessly stalking him for hours on end, just waiting for a sign of acknowledgement or a friendly greeting and yet, in the end, she got nothing. Then again, she never really expected much from him. Not even a Christmas card or a required 'Happy Birthday!' when necessary.

But he had always surprised her.

On her birthday, she had gotten coupons and a journal from him. For Christmas, he had given her a special ring that would summon him whenever she needed him. '_Just in case_,' He had said, '_Only if you think you need it._' And yet, they both knew what that meant.

_Please need it._

And he was always predictable. His chronic lateness was expected. The constant barrage of complaints she got whenever she suggest he should go to the hospital instead of knocking on her apartment door at three in the morning. He never listened, to anyone, for that matter. Not even the elders, especially when they told him exactly what to do. The lazy ninja would just ignore them with a wave of his head and go back to whatever he was doing before.

They had tried to impeach him, but it never worked. They had tried to get him to quit, but it would never work. And they even tried to get him involved in a scandal, but even the temptation of reliving a scene from his beloved novel didn't work. He did have standards. So they waited, and waited, and waited until they died, and would wait in the after-life. And when they got the news that their somewhat childish plans did not work, they became outraged and fired his assistant without telling him. The Hokage was furious and demanded that they hire her back.

"_Ah, I see."_

Their grins were almost pleased, pleased in the fact that they _finally_ _got_ _him_. It was then when Kakashi realized his first mistake. To them, of all people, he showed emotion. He had revealed the underneath of the underneath. He had revealed his weakness. They had tried to use her, tried to make her betray him. Little did they know that her loyalty lies with the Hokage and a bunch of old men trying to get their way.

She had told him immediately and that's when the assassination attempts began. At first, it was subtle; poisons were used but his assistant sniffed them out easily. Next was exploding tags on old files but Sakura had also sniffed those out. Lastly, an ANBU, Sai to be specific, was ordered to do the deed himself.

"_No,_" He stated; Sakura would have been proud of him.

"_You are ordered by the elders_-"

"_No_!" He snapped, this time with more feeling.

"_Disobeying a direct order_. _You know what this means_."

"_The fate you wish for Kakashi-sama_?"

Sai had fled from the room and immediately went to the Hokage tower. His ANBU mask was already off and thrown to the floor, cracks were already appearing on the surface anyway. Kakashi had immediately stopped signing papers to see that Sai was holding out his forehead protector. The copy-nin's eyes narrowed at his. Was he declaring himself a missing-nin? He was so ready to betray his village; what could have possibly caused such a reaction from him?

"_Sai_." Said Kakashi.

"_If this is how a village is run, I no longer wish to be a part of it_." He was angry, that was clear, and defensive.

He immediately understood. "_I am proud of you_." He tugged his mask down. "_Get Sakura, it is time_."

Kakashi knew he should have been keener. He already saw the signs but such audacity to think that one ANBU would take him down is haughty of them. It was time to put them in their place. The elders were getting out of hand. Danzo was the perfect example of that. The solution was obvious and it was his duty as Hokage to protect the village at all costs and, right now, the elders were putting the village in danger. He had made a list of elders that needed to be done away with and a list of those which would stay. His second mistake was writing the list of replacements. The third mistake he made was telling someone else, and that someone was Sakura.

"_Under all circumstances,"_ He told her in hushed tones, _"Deny everything I am about to tell you."_

Kakashi can clearly remember the look on her face when he told her. Her viridian eyes widened considerably, lips were parted and hands trembling, frightened for everything he was going to tell her. "_What is it_?"

"_We have to kill the elders_."

"_Wh-what? Why_?"

He ignored her and continued. "_I need to know where your loyalty lies_."

Sakura swallowed hard. "_With you_," Was her reply, throat thickening, "_Kakashi-sama_."

Without another thought, he pulled her close, the pad of his thumb pushing on her lips as if to keep her quiet. Sakura didn't say anything; then again, she never said anything when Kakashi did things she knew he was never going to answer. The elders thought they had him before; they were wrong up until this point in time. He never thought of the percussions of what he was about to do but he never thought about things like this anyway.

Sakura gasped. All the more reason to enrapture her in a kiss. It was different but it was no longer taboo and that was all Kakashi needed to continue without his doubts. She broke the kiss first, terrified at what she had just done. Her eyes showed it all; surprised, withdrawn, and most of all, frightened.

"_Kakashi_," She breathed, "_What have you done_?"

But she didn't regret it.

"_I don't know."_

But she didn't regret it.

"_They're going to get you for this."_

Then he smirked. _"Not if I get to them first."_

-

"_How could you?"_

She glared at nothing. _"At least he's safe now."_

"_You __**left**__ him," _She snarled, absolutely repulsed by the poor excuse for a woman in front of her._ "You just left him."_

She shuddered in disgust_. "I know." _She choked,_ "I know."_

Kakashi was in prison for ludicrous crimes and the elders were still in control. Well, some of the elders were in control; others were permanently incapacitated. The few remaining were proud of what they have done. Sakura did all she could to stay even-tempered around their smug faces. Then one day, she snapped. They had called her in for a mission debriefing and there was only the few left that needed to be done away with.

Their smirks soon disappeared when she locked the door and knocked out the ANBU guarding them. They were defenseless and Sakura delighted in the fact that she could see their blood splash across the meeting hall. Finally, it was finished. She sighed in relief before crossing out the leaf symbol on their forehead protectors with a kunai. She went over to one of the unconscious ANBU and grabbed the prison cell keys.

She took out the guards easily. "_Haruno-san! You are not – Ah_!"

They would be fine in a few hours. Sakura sprinted down the hallway to cell 528. It was where the most dangerous shinobi were kept. Kakashi wasn't her target. Sai wasn't her target and she really shouldn't have done it but she had to. She just had to.

"_Sakura_." He called out from behind her.

The pinkette froze. "_Sasuke_."

"_Why are you here_?"

Sakura smirked and held up the keys, "_I'm setting you free_."

"_Hn. The elders_-"

"-_are dead, Sasuke. Come, we have to get Kakashi and Sai_."

He said nothing but continued to follow her. As she made her way throughout the familiar pathways of the prison, she finally reached Sai's cell. She turned the hallway light on and squinted into the darkness. She knew there were others in his cell, she just didn't know how many.

"_Sai."_ She hissed, _"How many?"_

The ink-user squinted at the sudden light in the cell. "_Three."_

"_Who_?"

"_Yamato, Shikamaru and Shikaku_."

Sakura smiled softly at that and quickly jiggled the keys until they made the satisfying click of opening. Shikaku exchanged weary glances but didn't protest to being set free. Yamato, on the other hand, noted Sakura's blood-stained hands; it was fresh and there was no way she would leave the hospital with bloodied hands. Her former team captain looked up at her in disappointment. '_What have you done, Sakura_?'

"_Sakura_." Shikaku stated, "_Where are the elders_?"

Her emerald eyes glared at nothing before tossing him an extra pair of keys. Then he looked at her hands. There was blood all over them, still moist. It was then when Shikaku had noticed her trembling; it was ridiculously furious as well. But she didn't regret it. There was no time for regrets right now; she needed to get Kakashi back into his position before someone discovered the dead ANBU captains. Finally, she let out a sigh.

"_It does not matter. They are no longer able to perform their duties_."

Then she turned toward Sai and Shikaku, "_Go, set those who have been wronged free. I will get Kakashi_."

They all nodded and went their separate ways. Sasuke remained with her, also wanting to see Kakashi in the flesh after so long. They reached him in a lowly cell, by himself and reading his beloved novel. Sakura's eyes softened; he must have read it hundred times in this cell.

"_Kakashi_." She whispered.

He immediately threw his book and rushed up to the door of the cell. Sakura allowed herself to be pulled toward him, the prison bars being the only thing in between them. Kakashi wasted no time in giving her chaste kisses on her forehead, cheeks and lips. Uchiha Sasuke remained passive and thought nothing of it; in fact, he was remotely pleased that Sakura had found someone other than him. Kakashi soon noticed the other presence in the room.

"_You brought him_."

"_I had to_."

"_Let's go before someone notices."_

And then they ran. But none of that matter now. Kakashi remained motionless staring at the same stone. "Kakashi." She whispered. "Don't be like that."

"Then why did you set him free?"

Sakura swallowed, hard, "Because I had to."

His head inclined toward her, showing that he forgave her. And then, he gave her an eye crease.

"And I needed protection to get to you." She added.

"I'm your protection?" He asked, slightly amused but obviously pleased as well.

Sakura smiled. "Yes, Hokage-sama, you are."


End file.
